Tribes lash out at Trump administration for lapses in consultation

The Trump administration is coming under heavy fire as the new leader of the Department of the Interior makes a highly-anticipated appearance before the nation's largest inter-tribal organization.

The mid-year session of the National Congress of American Indians doesn't officially start until Tuesday but tribes were out in full force for a pair of listening sessions hosted by Interior on Monday. One by one, they slammed the department for moving forward with a reorganization without providing guidance to the sovereign governments most affected.

“Tribal leaders are concerned about the lack of consultation, meaningful consultation,” said Governor Kurt Riley of Acoma Pueblo as he described Bear Ears in Utah as the ancestral homeland of his people.

Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe addresses a listening session hosted by the Department of the Interior on the Mohegan Reservation in Connecticut on June 12, 2017. Photo by Indianz.Com / Available for use under a Creative
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Still, the reactions -- all unanimously negative -- aren't likely to diminish Zinke's reception at NCAI. He's making his first speech to the organization since joining the Trump administration in March and so far he has been treated warmly by elected leaders in Indian Country.

“It is an understatement to say that working with the tribes tribes at the beginning is a lot better than coming up with something and trying to shove it down our throats,” said Cladoosby, who also serves as chairman of the Swinomish Tribe.

Ron Allen, the longtime chairman of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and the treasurer of NCAI, was among the most critical of the new undertaking. He said the department needs to send a strong message to the White House about the need for more resources at the BIA but the lack of information from the administration makes it difficult to come up with solutions.

From left: Miles Janssen, counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; Mike Black, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; Bruce Loudermilk, the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and Bart Stevens, a deputy director at the Bureau of Indian Education. Photo by Indianz.Com / Available for use under a Creative
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Mike Black, the "acting" leader of the BIA, acknowledged the lack of guidance from Washington, D.C. So far the agency has only held a series of listening sessions -- which are not considered tribal consultations -- but hasn't disseminated any information about any changes.

“We have no plan,” said Black, who is a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “I want to hear from you.”

At the same time, he said President Donald Trump has ordered all federal agencies, Interior included, to submit a reorganization report in September, so the process is moving forward regardless of its reception in Indian Country. After that, he isn't sure whether there will be true government-to-government consultations.

Black knew even less about the Trump-ordered review process for national monuments like Bears Ears. None of the representatives of other Interior agencies who participated in the session had answers either.